How Audiobooks Changed My Life

Something very strange has been happening for the last 4 months. Every aspect of my life took a huge upturn and the train shows no sign of slowing down. I didn’t believe it until I looked at some objective metrics. Take a look:

In the next 3 months:

I dropped 2 inches off my waist

Lost 8lbs

Practiced 350 hours of flamenco guitar

Broke every record in our program.

How did I do it?

In the last 4 months we saw a huge increase in visitors to our website after a very long plateau. Now you might think, Mike you obviously worked way harder and drove in the traffic! The answer would be nope, because at the same time that we’ve had record visitors, I’ve spent a record amount of time practicing guitar:

All that is a small glimpse of the improvements and changes I’ve seen. There are many more without charts or hard data to show you.

The explanation behind the explosion

Call it a coincidence, but over the last 4 months a pattern emerged. I've seen three major changes:

My energy level increased dramatically

I've nearly eliminated procrastination

I am more driven in everything I do

All these improvements have lined up with the date on which I started listening to personal and professional development audiobooks:

Even though I’ve read personal and professional development books for a long time, I didn’t really get into audiobooks until recently. What I've found is that hearing the book read aloud creates a particular emotional spark in you, much stronger than simply reading quietly to yourself.

The difference between the spoken word and the read one is the same difference between listening to Martin Luther King’s I have a dream speech and reading the transcript of it.

With the boost of energy, motivation and focus that I got from audiobooks, I simply became more productive and effective. I intuitively produced more and better things. I effectively had more hours in the day because I wasted less time and focused more while at work.

Should you listen to audiobooks?

I’m a massive believer in audiobooks now. I’ve made listening to motivational audiobooks the very first step in my morning routine. This immediately gets me in the right mindset to have an awesome day.

Since I’ve noticed the benefits, I’ve been recommending motivational and personal development audiobooks to all our clients. The feedback here has also been amazing. Many clients have reported immediate results from listening, which add up to huge long-term gains.

How to get started with audiobooks

Before I got into audiobooks, I started out listening to podcasts. Unfortunately, most podcasts provide very shallow and general information. From there I came across free audiobooks on youtube. The one that clicked the most with me is Brian Tracy’s Power of Self -Discipline, an excerpt of which you can listen to below - the full version is linked here.

You can find a lot of audiobooks for free just by searching on youtube. Some have low quality audio or are missing parts, but it’s an excellent way to get your ears wet and see if audiobooks click for you.

Other than youtube, I’ve fallen in love with Audible. This way you can access your audiobooks from any device (iphone, ipad etc.) and they all sync together, so you can pick up exactly where you left off, no matter which device you use.

I also like Audible's system in which one book sells for one credit, since it's allowed me to get audiobooks that normally cost ~$40 for $15. I’ll talk more about how to get the most out of Audible below.

What audiobooks to choose

Audiobooks are a lot more variable in quality than regular books, since narrator and production value can make a big difference. Personally, I’ve really liked Brian Tracy’s audiobooks, since they present a systematic approach to motivation and success.

Get started with Power of Self Discipline

This is my favorite audiobook. It’s extremely motivating, insightful and filled with strategies that will make you succeed. Self-Discipline is the master skill for you to achieve anything you want in life.

How to take full advantage of your Audible free trial

Audible has great features to make sure every customer is satisfied. If you don’t like a book, you can instantly and easily return it.

If the free trial isn’t enough, there are hidden incentives Audible provides to try and make you happy. Just head over to your account page to cancel your account and you’ll receive another promotional offer, for example a $20 credit or 3 months at a 50% discount.

Most important

To succeed with audiobooks as with anything else, you must make a habit of listening to them. To help create this habit, answer these 3 questions:

When is the exact time(s) I will listen to audiobooks?
e.g. Right when I wake up; When I’m exercising; Right before bed during my sleep routine, etc.

Where will I listen to them?
e.g. In the car on the way to work; In the kitchen while I cook; At the gym.

How will I listen to them?
e.g. On my smartphone; mp3 player; car stereo.

Beware of skipping these 3 questions. Studies have shown that people who set a specific time and place for a new habit had a 300-500% higher success rate maintaining that habit.